Thursday’s six-game schedule offers our first NBA action since the all-star breaks. Players will be fresh after getting a few days rest and also many players will be returning from injury. However, since there are only six games some positions will be more limiting and will force a more balanced approach. There is an opportunity to snag the team dream of Stephen Curry and Giannis Anetokounmpo but the rest of the lineup will focus on creating balance.
Point Guards
Stephen Curry (PG – GS): $9,500 vs. SAC
Curry comes back after the all-star break to face the Kings, who rank pretty low in the defensive standings. Over his last five games, Curry has been averaging 42 Fan Duel points. The Kings are ranked 25th in the league in terms of points allowed per a game and also allow the fifth most Fan Duel points to opposing point guards. This sounds like a recipe for success for Chef Curry, who should be cooking his way to more than 42 Fan Duel points. The only downside of taking Curry is one of his teammates could also heat up and result in slightly lower production for Curry, but you can still count on him to be a reliable daily fantasy option.
Collin Sexton (PG – CLE): $5,500 vs. PHO
Sexton is criminally underrated on Fan Duel and is someone that should be started given his production and his opponent. Over his last five games, Sexton has averaged 33 Fan Duel points. Factor in he is playing the Suns, who rank in the bottom three in nearly every defensive measure and it seems Sexton is primed for a big night.
Thursday’s six-game schedule offers our first NBA action since the all-star breaks. Players will be fresh after getting a few days rest and also many players will be returning from injury. However, since there are only six games some positions will be more limiting and will force a more balanced approach. There is an opportunity to snag the team dream of Stephen Curry and Giannis Anetokounmpo but the rest of the lineup will focus on creating balance.
Point Guards
Stephen Curry (PG – GS): $9,500 vs. SAC
Curry comes back after the all-star break to face the Kings, who rank pretty low in the defensive standings. Over his last five games, Curry has been averaging 42 Fan Duel points. The Kings are ranked 25th in the league in terms of points allowed per a game and also allow the fifth most Fan Duel points to opposing point guards. This sounds like a recipe for success for Chef Curry, who should be cooking his way to more than 42 Fan Duel points. The only downside of taking Curry is one of his teammates could also heat up and result in slightly lower production for Curry, but you can still count on him to be a reliable daily fantasy option.
Collin Sexton (PG – CLE): $5,500 vs. PHO
Sexton is criminally underrated on Fan Duel and is someone that should be started given his production and his opponent. Over his last five games, Sexton has averaged 33 Fan Duel points. Factor in he is playing the Suns, who rank in the bottom three in nearly every defensive measure and it seems Sexton is primed for a big night.
Shooting Guards
Caris LeVert (SG – BKN): $5,800 vs. POR
LeVert is a bit of a gamble in this scenario, but he has had more time to rest and should be able to play even more minutes then he has in the past. The challenge is that he faces a Trail Blazers team which is a good, but not a great defensive team. LeVert dropped more than 32 Fan Duel points in two of his three games since returning from injury. He has the potential to have a big night against the Trail Blazers, but also the potential to be a major let down. Given the price tag, LeVert is someone you can bet on without getting burned too badly.
Dion Waiters (SG – CHA): $5,300 @ PHI
Waiters has averaged 26 Fan Duel points since his insertion into the starting lineup. Admittedly the matchup against the 76ers is not ideal given their strong defense, but Waiters is the type of player that can get hot and becomes unguardable at times. Another potential issue is the return of Goran Dragic which could take away the 30 plus minutes Waiters has been playing a game. There is a lot of risk in this pick, but the reward is high enough to make it worth taking Waiters.
Small Forwards
Giannis Antetokounmpo (SF –MIL): $12,400 vs. BOS
Antetokunmpo has been on a tear lately averaging 65 Fan Duel points in the last five games he has played in. He plays against a tough Celtics team but its almost impossible to stop the Greek Freak once he gets going. Even if this is a low scoring affair look for Amtetokounmpo to still get his stats and potentially post a triple-double. He’s about as good of a lock as it gets regardless of matchup, so feel comfortable taking Antetokounmpo always.
Rodney Hood (SF – POR): $3,600 @ BKN
Hood continues to be a solid value play who can potentially give you 20 Fan Duel points. As the Trail Blazers work him more into the lineup he will be afforded more opportunities to shine. Over his last four games with the Trail Blazers Hood is averaging 22.5 minutes and 14 Fan Duel Points. That may not seem like a lot of points, but Hood has the potential to always go above and beyond. The Nets are a middle of the pack defense and Hood should be afforded plenty of shots and minutes to at least try and reach 20 Fan Duel points.
Power Forwards
Marvin Bagley III (PF – SAC): $5,700 @ GS
Bagley over his last five games has been a bit inconsistent but has still managed to average 32 Fan Duel points. He matches up against the Warriors who are a great defensive team, so why in the world should you take Bagley against the Warriors? One reason to take Bagley is the potential of this game to be a blowout affording Bagley more minutes and more scoring opportunities. Another reason to take Bagley is the Warriors struggle to stop athletic big man from scoring in the paint, which is exactly Bagely’s game. It’s possible that Bagley doesn’t show up and has another inconsistent outing, but the potential for him to hit 30 or more is high and too good of a price point to pass it up.
Green is always a player who seems to get in a rhythm right after the all-star break. In his first game since the break, Green gets to face a defensively porous team in the Kings, who allow the sixth most Fan Duel points to power forwards. Green over his last five games has averaged 29 Fan Duel points. Green should be able to fill up the stat sheet and will come out with a lot of energy and hustle given a nice break. He should also be extra motivated by not making the all-star team, so look for Green to come out guns blazing against the Kings.
Center
Brook Lopez (C – MIL): $5,300 vs. BOS
Lopez is a good value play at center and has been averaging 28 Fan Duel points over the last five games. The Bucks will need all the scoring firepower they can against the Celtics and Lopez should be afforded the shots to come close to his average over the last five games. A factor that complicates taking Lopez is the potential return of Nikola Mirotic to the lineup, who nobody is sure how he will integrate into the Bucks lineup. Lopez should still be able to provide some solid returns given his price point and is better value than most centers on the list in a similar range.
Sulman Haque is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Sulman, check out his archive and follow him @HaqueYouToo.
